Bridge Collapse in Italy Leaves Over 20 Dead

Media reports say the collapse of a section of a bridge in the port city of Genoa in Italy has left more than twenty people dead.

Italian authorities have provided different casualty figures. Reuters, citing an Italian news agency, reported at least 35 deaths. The Associated Press also reported 20 people killed and 16 injured.

The head of Italy’s civil protection authority says between 30 to 35 vehicles and three heavy trucks were on the 80-meter section of bridge that collapsed.

The discrepancy in figures comes as some of the accident victims have been pulled alive from the rubble.

The bridge, which is more than one kilometer long, was built in the late 1960s.

The bridge was constructed on a major highway that connects Italy to France. With the collapse of a section of it, vehicles fell from a height of approximately 45 meters. Hundreds of firefighters were sent to the area to assist the victims of the disaster.

Source: Voice of America